Sports

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SPORTS 11/20/25 12:40pm

Elon men’s soccer looks to ride hot streak in NCAA tournament

By Trevor Brader-Araje

Rudd Field’s full crowd erupted in cheers as confetti rained from above. Elon University men’s soccer lifted the Coastal Athletic Association championship trophy, winning for the first time. But the celebration didn’t last long. The Phoenix quickly shifted their focus to the next obstacle: a high-stakes NCAA tournament matchup against in-state opponent University North Carolina, Greensboro. Senior Colin Veltri believes that the Phoenix can beat UNCG and push through the tournament. “I feel like we can really make a push,” Veltri said. “And everyone does too.” 

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SPORTS 11/17/25 2:59pm

Phoenix forward embraces confidence on court

By Lilly Molina

Between last season and this one, junior forward Isaac Harrell “had to grow up.” “This offseason really forced me to become a leader for this program,” Harrell said. “I think with everyone leaving, it made me become like a different person, as in, I had to grow up.” With the nine transfers that left Schar Center last year, Harrell and four others were the only returning players. Harrell is the only returning player who spent time in the starting lineup last year. “It was definitely a hard time when everyone left, just because those become your best friends,” Harrell said. “But I figured that staying was best for me because I love the coaching staff.”

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SPORTS 11/16/25 8:13pm

Elon University men’s soccer wins CAA Championship in shutout

By Sam Weiss

Under the North Carolina sun, a new Coastal Athletic Association Champion emerged on Elon University’s Rudd Field. Maroon and gold confetti flew as Elon’s men’s soccer team won the CAA Championship, beating Stony Brook University 3-0. “We’ve just stayed with it,” head coach Marc Reeves said. “We’ve got a little bit more energy, maybe a little more decisiveness. Yeah, we work on these things all the time.” Elon will now advance to the National Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with an automatic bid. The full tournament standings and bracket will be announced on Nov. 17 on ESPN. 

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SPORTS 11/16/25 10:27am

Elon women’s basketball falls to Howard in physical matchup

By Blair Mitchell

After a much needed bounceback win against Presbyterian College on Nov. 10, the Elon women’s basketball team went head-to-head against the Howard University Bisons Nov. 15 to play their fourth game of the season. Despite the hard fought effort and back-and-forth intensity brought forth by the Phoenix, Elon ultimately fell to the Bisons 56-46. Howard’s control of the game started from the opening minute with a knockdown 3-pointer right out of the gates. The Phoenix travel on the road to play Georgetown University on Nov. 24.

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SPORTS 11/15/25 11:43pm

Elon University men’s basketball beats Gardner-Webb, fueled by 3-pointers

By Miles Hayford

The Elon University men’s basketball team defeated Gardner-Webb 95-84, thanks to a bevy of 3-pointers leading the Coastal Athletic Association in points and 3-pointers per game. Graduate student Chandler Cuthrell scored a career high 29 points during the game. ”This game, I wanted to make sure I made more of a paint presence and establish more dominance in the paint rather than just setting around the three point line, just making the defender's job easier to guard me,” Cuthrell said.

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SPORTS 11/15/25 10:37am

Transfer additions get accustomed to Elon men’s basketball team

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University men’s basketball team may be trying to replicate last year’s 17-16 record, but they will have to achieve that feat with an entirely different roster. This offseason, the team lost nine players to the transfer portal. Some of the notable departures included TJ and TK Simpkins, along with Nick Dorn, among other contributors. To compensate for the losses, the Phoenix added eight new transfers before the season.  Half of their additions from the portal are graduate students, as forwards Chandler Cuthrell, Kacper Klaczek and Bryson Spell, along with guard Ja’Juan Carr, all provide a ton of experience.

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SPORTS 11/14/25 11:20pm

Elon women’s soccer falls to Duke, dream season ends in shutout

By Benjamin Berfield

Elon’s dreams of extending their season following their Coastal Athletic Association championship were denied against Duke in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament. The Blue Devils shut out the Phoenix 3-0 with three goals. “We went up against a good team, but I’m really proud of the way we performed all season,” head coach Neil Payne said. “It wasn’t about tonight, it was about the entire season. I couldn’t be more happy with our response over the last month and postseason play.”

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SPORTS 11/14/25 2:10pm

Elon women’s basketball team aims to take next step after last year’s improvement

By Benjamin Berfield

There is plenty of anticipation for the Elon University women’s basketball team heading into the 2025-26 season. After going from 11-21 in 2024 to 15-15 in 2025, the Phoenix is looking to take another significant step this year. In the CAA’s preseason power rankings, Elon is projected to finish fifth, which is their highest spot since the 2022-2023 season. Elon also boasts plenty of experienced players such as seniors Laila Anderson and Ruby Willard along with redshirt senior guard Kamryn Doty.

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SPORTS 11/13/25 9:51am

Elon men’s basketball seeks to maintain standards despite new roster

By Benjamin Berfield

Chemistry has been a core emphasis for the Elon University men’s basketball team. They’ve stressed building camaraderie over the offseason and into training camp with the 2025-26 season now underway. “We’ve been working hard since June,” Men's head basketball coach Billy Taylor said. “The eight weeks we had in the summertime of workouts and then our preseason have all been building to this moment.” The team will look much different compared to last year’s roster, which went 17-16 for the program’s first winning season since 2016-17. This past offseason, Elon lost nine players to the transfer portal.

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SPORTS 11/12/25 9:35am

From professional basketball to the classroom: Elon athletes pursue education beyond the game

By Monika Jurevicius

A new internship opportunity in Florence will give Elon students the same chance to learn through basketball — connecting academics with the professional game. A shared commitment to education has brought together Elon University’s School of Communications; Accademia Europea di Firenze, the host institution for Elon in Florence; and Italy’s Pistoia Basketball to create a new internship program for students in Florence beginning in fall 2026. “Players are like students,” Head of University Relations for the team and Academia Europea di Fienze professor Marco Bracci said. “They are learning by doing. They are learning by practicing. I think that is a mutual, reciprocal, learning process.

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SPORTS 11/11/25 4:24pm

Elon University women’s basketball star guard out for season

By Miles Hayford

Elon women’s basketball star guard Jayda Angel will miss the remainder of the season after getting injured in the second game of the season Nov. 6 against the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, according to a press release from Elon Athletics. Angel, the reigning Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, fell while coming to a jump stop on a drive to the basket. “This is a heartbreaking reality that we will pull through together as Jayda’s Phoenix family,” Head coach Charlotte Smith said in the press release. “We pray for a speedy recovery for her.”

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SPORTS 11/9/25 10:20pm

Elon University men’s soccer advances to CAA Championship off offensive barrage

By Miles Hayford

After two straight years of heartbreak in the Coastal Athletic Association semifinals, the streak was over. This year, the emotion will come from the Elon University men’s soccer team playing in the CAA Championship instead of falling just short. Elon’s 6-4 win over Campbell University in the semifinals Nov. 9 was a chaos-filled and high-scoring affair. Elon head coach Marc Reeves said he was happy with how the offense played but called the game chaotic. 

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SPORTS 11/8/25 7:30pm

Football loses fourth straight game, quarterback leaves with injury

By Benjamin Berfield

In their first game out of the bye week, the Elon University football team couldn’t snap their losing streak as they lost 34-20 to Rhode Island University. The defeat marks Elon’s fourth straight loss after starting the season 4-2. It is the second straight season in which they failed to finish with a winning record. Rhode Island scored on its first four possessions of the game and remained in control for the rest of the game. They outgained Elon 442-225 in total yards while Rhode Island redshirt junior quarterback Devin Farrell threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns. It was Rhode Island’s fourth straight win to move to 8-2 on the year. 

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SPORTS 11/7/25 7:59pm

Elon men’s club rugby earns chance to host playoffs at home

By Riley Hale

As Elon University’s men's club rugby team end their regular season, they have an exciting opportunity awaiting this postseason; the opportunity to host the playoff tournament at home. Luke Wood is a senior at Elon who first started playing rugby in 2022. As the president of men’s club rugby he said he thinks being able to have the playoffs at home will provide more publicity for Elon. “Last spring we held a 16-team tournament and it was a big success,” Wood said. “Being able to hold more important sports events at home will actually make us more popular as a university and put us on the map.”

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SPORTS 11/7/25 8:03am

Elon women’s basketball loses to UNC Chapel Hill, star sophomore leaves with injury

By Benjamin Berfield

A tall task for the Elon University women’s basketball team against No. 11 ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill became even more challenging early in the second quarter. Four minutes into the second quarter, sophomore guard Jayda Angel awkwardly fell down while coming to a jump stop on a drive to the basket. The reigning Coastal Athletic Association Rookie of the Year and First Team All CAA preseason nominee, lay on the court for an extended period of time before having to be carried off. At the time, Elon was down 22-18 and had appeared to gain some offensive momentum with two early 3-pointers. 

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SPORTS 11/5/25 11:26pm

Transfer additions guide Elon men’s basketball to dominant opening victory

By Benjamin Berfield

The newest transfer additions for the Elon University men’s basketball team wasted no time making an impact in their debuts for the Phoenix. Sophomore guard Bryson Cokley, graduate student guard Ja’Juan Carr and junior guard Randall Pettus II, Elon won its season opener 99-51 against Belmont Abbey College. Head coach Billy Taylor said he views the transfer portal as a great opportunity to grant players the chance to impact the game in different ways. “The hard part about the transfer portal is you lose really good kids that you recruit but it also presents opportunities for new young people,” Taylor said. 

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SPORTS 11/2/25 12:28pm

Elon men’s soccer wraps up regular season in 1-0 thriller

By Benjamin Berfield

The final regular season game for the Elon University men’s soccer team ended in a slugfest against William & Mary. For the first 70 minutes, it appeared as if Elon would notch a tie for the seventh time this year. But with the No. 1 spot in the CAA South Division on the line, a goal by junior forward Jordin Wilson helped grind out a 1-0 win to advance to 7-2-6. Elon will rest for a week before hosting the winner between University of North Carolina Wilmington and Campbell University on Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.

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SPORTS 10/26/25 9:31pm

Collaborative efforts earn Elon women’s soccer a place in conference quarterfinals

By Elissa Leka

Elon University women’s soccer ended their match with a 0-0 draw against the College of Charleston, concluding the regular season undefeated at home.  As a result, the Phoenix now qualify for the Coastal Athletic Association conference, which prompted postgame enthusiasm and celebration. Head coach Neil Payne said he is excited for the team to head to conference finals. “I’m so excited for the group,” Payne said. “We felt like we’ve been playing well for a long time. Not just a win, but we’re undefeated at home, which speaks volumes for how we’ve played this season.” 

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SPORTS 10/25/25 11:27pm

Elon volleyball swept in close three sets

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University volleyball team lost its fourth straight home game with a 3-0 loss against North Carolina A&T University. Elon fought in most of its sets, losing by two points in each of the first two sets before falling by five in the third. They now fall to 5-16 on the year. Graduate student outside hitter Simrin Carlsen said N.C. A&T was very efficient on offense and managed to utilize all of their players’ strengths. “We were rotating super quickly, so there weren’t a lot of times where we were able to get runs that lasted more than a couple of points,” Carlsen said.

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SPORTS 10/14/25 7:33am

Elon University Poll, Knight Commission of Intercollegiate Athletics finds NCAA worried over House settlement

By Benjamin Berfield

A recent poll published by the Elon University Poll and the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics showed concerns from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I presidents, administrators and athletic directors about the state of college sports following the House vs NCAA settlement this past July. College athletes could previously get endorsed by other brands, but the House ruling now allows schools to contribute to NIL. The settlement gave colleges the right to directly pay their athletes. In the aftermath of the ruling most of the respondents surveyed think this could result in a currently flawed Division I sports system getting worse over time.

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